S. Korean golfer left with extra laundry after qualifying for Open Championship

By tying for third place at the Genesis Scottish Open on Sunday, South Korean golfer An Byeong-hun grabbed a last-minute spot at the Open Championship, the fourth and final major of the men's season, teeing off this week.

And he's going to prepare for the big tournament by doing, of all things, laundry.

When he arrived at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland, An had not packed enough clothes for a trip to England for the Open Championship. But with his third-place finish at the Scottish Open, An secured one of three final Open Championship spots -- awarded to the top-three finishers who weren't already qualified for the major.

"I have to do my laundry and get ready for next week," An said after finishing his Scottish Open on Sunday. "At least I have a lot of warm clothes that I took from last week. I've got everything, just need to do laundry so that will be my whole afternoon."

An tied a course record with a nine-under 61 in the first round at the Scottish Open but shot a combined one-under over his next three rounds, including an even 70 on Sunday that featured four birdies and four bogeys.

Overall, though, the 31-year-old said he's pleased with his game.

"The Open wasn't in my schedule, but after the last couple days, all I tried to do is try to play a little better," he said. "Struggled a little bit off the tee, tee-to-green the last couple weeks, but I'm glad to see that tee-to-green was great this week. I felt like my swing was back on track."

This year's Open Championship will take place at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, the same track where An played his first Open as a professional in 2014. He tied for 26th then.

"I remember the place. It's a great golf course. That was my first major cut that I made," An recalled. "I'm looking forward to it and hopefully can have a little better finish this year."

An, the son of 1988 Olympic table tennis medalists Ahn Jae-hyung and Jiao Zhimin, said playing the links course in Scotland was "good preparation" for the Open.

"This is a bonus, extra week," he said. "So hopefully I can make the best out of it." (Yonhap)